


Strip that Down

by Wolfy22Zsasz



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: F/M, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Murder, Rape, Strippers & Strip Clubs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-09-21 14:49:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 4,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17045708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfy22Zsasz/pseuds/Wolfy22Zsasz
Summary: This is my first ever Law&Order SVU fanfic!! I'm basically in love with Dominick Carisi Jr, so..... yeah! This was inspired by the song "Strip that down" by Liam Payne....also partially by my rescue dog Mandi who was named Candi at the shelter. I do not own the rights to Law and Order or their characters or the song Strip That Down.





	1. One

"Candi, right?" 

"Yeah, that's me." Candi looks up and down at the man in front of her, sizing him up.

"My name's detective Carisi. I've got a few questions for you about what went down here last night."

"Sure." Candi shrugs, pulling her robe tighter around herself.

"What time did you leave the club last night?"

"Around 8ish. Probably 8:10, 8:15. I got off at 8. I don't hang around."

Detective Carisi makes some marks on his notepad, his eyes flicking up at the woman in front of him. She wasn't a major witness but they'd been instructed to interview all the girls who'd been working the previous night.  
"Alright, so, before you left do you remember seeing, uh... Rowdy? Do you remember seeing where she was at?" The detective makes a face while reading off the stripper's name.

"Rachel. Yeah she was getting on stage when I left."

"Did she seem all right? Seem like anyone was bothering her?"

"Listen Detective. I'm not gonna talk bad about any of these girls, but they're not all as cautious as they should be. Rachel... she's a...was a wild one. Some of us... we do this because we have to. Rachel liked the attention. I don't think she realized that not all attention is good."

"Clearly you're more observant then. Did you notice anyone watching her too intently?"

"Sorry Detective, but once I"m off, I high tail it out of here. I keep my head down and I slip out the back."

"Okay, well thanks for your help Candi. If we have any more questions,"

"I'd be happy to answer them. Have a nice day detective Carisi."

Carisi watches the woman walk away with a frown on his face. He hated seeing women resort to using their bodies for work but it was even worse when they seemed so out of place. Candi may have a stripper name but she sure didn't talk or act like one. What a shame.


	2. Two

"Carisi, we've got another one. One of the other girls found her this morning. I'm gonna need you and Fin down there now."

"On it Liv."

 

 

"They say that one over there is the one who found her." Fin points across the parking lot to a redhead curled around a styrofoam cup.

"That's Candi! I interviewed her about the first girl. Let me talk to her."

 

"Hey... Candi. Remember me?"

Candi smiles down at her coffee. "Detective Carisi."

"You didn't even look!"

Candi looks up at him and gives him a tired smile. "How could I forget that accent Detective?"

Carisi smiles at her before getting serious. "How're ya doing?" 

"Probably better than any of the other girls." she says frankly.

"But they didn't find..."

"Pam. AKA Pepper. Yeah, but they...they're high strung. It's bad enough for them just hearing about it. If they saw...nah. This was for the best. I'll be fine."

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"I'm scheduled in at 10. The first shows don't start til 11 but I do clean up in the mornings. I was taking the trash out and there she was. Laying just around the corner from the dumpster, her foot sticking out. I didn't touch anything. Just called 911."

Carisi makes notes as she speaks. "Do you remember anything out of the ordinary, doors unlocked, things out of place?"

"No." Candi shakes her head, biting her lip in thought. "Nothing was out of place. Everything was locked up tight."

"So... you said her name was Pam?" 

"Yeah. I refuse to call anyone by anything but their real name. Pepper was her stage name."

"What can you tell me about Pam?"

"If you're looking for a pattern...the only things Pam and Rachel had in common was this place. They were night and day. Pam's got two little boys at home. Her mom stays with them. She wasn't wild; she didn't take risks."

Carisi nods. "So what do you think happened?"

Candi's eyebrows raise, surprised by the question. "Well..." she frowns in thought. "Guy had to be charming. Maybe a little shy. Disarming with a quiet demeanor. She wasn't one for cocky loudmouths. He must've overpowered her quickly. She always carried mace."

"Good, good. That's great Candi. Anything else?"

"I don't think so."

"Okay, well, here's my card." Carisi scribbles on the back of it. "And my cell. You think of anything else or see anything suspicious you give me a call."

"Okay. Thanks for taking this serious."

"Of course." Sonny frowns as he walks away. He didn't like the way this was looking. And as glad as he was that someone competent had discovered the body, he really didn't like Candi being involved in this.


	3. Three

It was two days later that an unknown number flashed on Sonny's phone.

"Hello?"

"Detective Carisi?"

"Yeah! Candi, is everything alright?"

"Yeah... well...can we meet somewhere?"

"Sure. Where are you?" She names a street and he thinks the area over quickly. "How about that coffee shop two blocks away? You know it?"

"Definitely. See you there."

 

 

When Sonny gets there, Candi is already at a table in the back.

"Hey! Let me just grab a coffee."

Candi watches the energetic detective make his way to the counter to order. She finds herself smiling at how animated he is as he talks- pointing, smiling, laughing. He's a breath of fresh air in her dirty claustrophobic world. When he returns he's juggling two coffees, some sort of sandwich, two scones and two cannolis.

"I wasn't sure what you liked, so you can take your pick. There's a white chocolate raspberry scone, a blueberry lemon glaze scone, one of the cannoli has chocolate shavings. The coffees are just basic house roast with a lil cream and sugar. I did have em put some caramel syrup in one and hazelnut in the other."

Candi stares at him in wide-eyed disbelief.

"What? Why're ya looking at me like I grew another head?"

Candi opens and closes her mouth then gestures at the spread before them helplessly.

"Aw, I skipped lunch today. My ma'd tan my hide if I was rude enough to eat in front of a lady and not offer her anything. Don't sweat it, just take whatever ya want." He smiles at her, his blue eyes sparkling.

Candi shakes her head at him, slowly returning his smile. "You're something else Detective Carisi."

"Please, call me Sonny."

Candi takes one of the coffees and the blueberry scone while Sonny unwraps his sandwich.

"So. What's up?" He gives her his direct serious attention before taking a bite out of his sandwich.

Candi frowns, fiddling with a napkin. "Last night. There was this guy. I...I don't know that it's anything..."

"But..." Sonny prods her to continue.

"But... he gave me the creeps. Most guys they don't look at you like that. When they look at you, they're undressing you with their eyes like a tasty piece of meat. His expression...it was... more intelligent. Calculating. Like a lion sizing up a herd of gazelle looking for the weakest prey."

"This man- what did he look like?" Carisi fumbles in his jacket for a notepad and pen.

"Unremarkable. Medium brown hair. Average build. Taller than me but shorter than you. I didn't get close enough to determine eye color. He was wearing a plain tan coat and jeans."

"That's good, that's very good Candi. Did you say anything to management? There's cameras at the doors, right?"

"Just the front doors. And no...they would've just brushed me off. They aren't big fans of me."

"Do they not understand how serious this is? Two women are dead. Two of their employees."

Sonny's intense stare makes Candi look down at her coffee.

"We're replaceable Sonny. That's why they don't like me. I'm a pain in their ass, always demanding better working conditions, fair treatment."

"There's nothing wrong with that. You're entitled to that."

She laughs shortly. "Yeah. Sure. The only reason I still have a job there is because I'm willing to clean up after everyone and because they're afraid of me suing them for unlawful termination. But I'll take it. It's how I got my shift. In at 10am out by 7 or 8pm. Well that and because most girls don't want those hours. Less customers, less pay. The big spenders don't start coming in until 7 or 8."

"You want the early shift cause it's safer."

"Bingo. Money doesn't do you any good if you're dead."

"You're a smart woman."

"At least someone thinks so."

"Hey." Sonny startles her by reaching across the table to grab her wrist. "Don't let other people determine your worth. You're a good woman and anyone who can't see thats an idiot."

Candi blinks up at him and his earnest handsome face and tries to ignore the flutters in her chest.

Sonny notices the blush rising to her cheeks and sheepishly looks down, taking his hand back.

"So, this guy..." Sonny grabs his notepad.

"Yeah." Candi takes another drink of coffee. "I think he comes in a lot. I'm not sure if it's just my imagination, but now that I've noticed him I feel like I've seen him before. I just never really  _saw_ him before."

"I'll talk to the Lieu about getting over there to look at security tapes."

"God,. I'm gonna be so nervous tonight."

"Tonight? You're working tonight?"

"Yeah. We're down two girls. I was supposed to be off today but they needed someone to cover one of Rachel's shifts. My rents almost due and my lock's broke and needs replaced. I couldn't really say no."

"Your door doesn't lock?" Sonny's fist clenches around his crumpled sandwich wrapper.

Candi sits up straight, surprised by how upset he seems. "It broke a week ago. I haven't had the money to fix it. My dog needed food."

"What time are you going in tonight?"

"8. 8pm til we close at 2am."

"Alright. I better check in at the station and tell em what you told me."

"Right." Candi nods, feeling uncomfortable again.

"Hey. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. I just hate the thought of a woman out there unprotected with some maniac on the loose." The kindness and sincerity in his blue eyes strikes flutters in her chest again. 

"Well..thanks. For caring." Candi smiles at him as she stands up and grabs her purse and coffee. "And thanks for the coffee and food too."

"Anytime! I'll see ya later Candi." He stands as well and watches her walk out the door, her guard up once again.


	4. Four

"This is great Carisi. It might be our first solid lead. I'll talk to Barba about getting warrants for that security footage. This club is ridiculously uncooperative. You think this Candi will be a credible witness if we get the guy?"

"Definitely. She's solid. She hates her job but she's level headed, smart, aboveboard. She's clean unlike most of her coworkers. She wants this guy caught just as much as we do."

"Sounds like she's got a fan." Rollins chimes in with raised eyebrows.

"Nah, Carisi's just a bleeding heart." Fin claps him on the shoulder as he walks past. 


	5. Five

  

 

Candi peers out the curtains nervously. She can't remember the last time she worked a closing shift and the club is packed. The lights on stage are blinding but she still squints trying to search the crowd of washed out faces.

"Looking for someone in particular?" One of the other girls teases her.

"You're up Candi." The previous stripper brushes past her on her way off stage.

"Whoever he is, go get em girl. He's waiting for you."

Candi rolls her eyes, takes a deep breath, and steps out onto the stage.

 

 

Dominick Carisi Jr stands with his hands in his pockets and his shoulders hunched, scanning the crowd of men around him. He feels uncomfortable. Twitchy. His stomach is queasy and he's regretting that second cannoli. It's not like he hasn't gone undercover before, both in strip clubs and illegal parties to catch traffickers...except tonight he's not on the job, he's not Detective Carisi of the NYPD, he's just Dominick "Sonny" Carisi... at a strip club. He feels like he's in disguise in jeans and a Fordham hoodie, a ball cap pulled low and some fake plastic glasses.

And then he sees her; walking onto the stage, looking completely different from all the other girls in their g-strings and bodysuits. Candi's body is hidden by a leather jacket- her hands clenching the edges in front of her chest. Heeled boots laced up to her knees, a hat that looks suspiciously like a cop's pulled low over her eyes. Her red hair flares as she spins on her heel and faces away from the crowd. NYPD is emblazoned on the back of her jacket and Sonny about chokes. He can already tell she's putting on more of a real show than the other girls who come out with their bodies already in full view. Candi is about to tease them, make them sweat for every inch that she slowly exposes.

Sure enough the jacket slowly slides down the back of her arms, her shoulders moving with the beat of the song. The shoulders of the jacket reach her wrists and she spins, sending the jacket out across the crowd. Hidden underneath and now revealed is a short leather dress, still covering more than any of the other girls outfits. Sonny is mesmerized as she begins moving around the pole, still hiding her face under her hat. He doesn't realize he's moving until his chest hits the edge of the stage, leaving a trail of angry mutters behind him. Candi struts along the perimeter of the stage, finally pulling the hat off and releasing waves of hair. She teases the men along the stage with the hat, pretending to offer it to them and they eagerly begin filling it with green bills. She freezes when she gets to Sonny.

 

Candi was starting to get into the swing of her routine, bolstered by all the enthusiastic cheers and whistles. Then she saw him. She almost didn't recognize him but then his blue eyes flashed. She nearly stumbled as he stared up at her in awe. Trying to regain her composure she finishes walking the edge and deposits the overflowing hat at the back of the stage. Her mind races trying to figure out what he's doing here. She tries to tell herself he's undercover for work but her helpfully logical brain tells her that if that were the case he would be in the back looking for the killer, not standing against the stage watching her. While these thoughts filter through her mind, her body has already taken over. She consciously realizes that she's now only dancing for him as she bends over against the pole, giving him a glimpse up her dress, And then she's spinning around it again, pausing as she waits for the second song of her performance to start.

 

_You know, I've been taking some time and I've been keeping to myself. I had my eyes up on the prize, ain't watching anybody else. But your love it hit me hard, girl yeah you're bad for my health. I love the cards that I've been dealt. Do you feel the same as well?_

 

Candi stalks to the front of the stage, dancing front and center, her heart racing as she tries to keep her eyes up scanning the crowd.

Sonny stares up as Candi dances front and center right above him. He could reach out and touch her, except that was against the rules. He grits his teeth as she starts undoing the hidden snaps along the side of her dress. Then she pulls it away with a flourish, making obvious eye contact with him as she sends the dress sailing over his head into the crowd. Sonny is glad he left his hands in his pockets as they help disguise the fact that he just got hard, fast.

Candi pauses for a moment, not watching the men fighting over possession of the dress she just discarded, her eyes locked on the man in front of her to gauge his reaction. She feels both energized and powerful as well as anxious and vulnerable, exposed to someone who's respect she desired so greatly. She desperately scrutinizes his face, noting the slight parting of his lips, the tightening at the corners of his eyes, the quick dart of pink as his tongue unconsciously wets his lips. It's his tongue that breaks her, making her turn away on her heel and retreat to the pole to hide the raw emotion on her own face.

Sonny watches her every move as she swings herself up, down, and around the pole. His eyes catching every minute detail of her remaining outfit, recording every muscle flexing as she shows off the strength in her lean body. The bra she's wearing is strappy leather, the bands striping appetizingly over the gently swells of her breasts. Sonny's gaze travels lower, sweat trickling down his spine as he takes in the leather g-string/garter belt combo. He tries to remind himself that there's dozens of other men watching her too but it doesn't do any good. While part of him bristles at the thought of the men around him watching her, another part of him knows. Knows that right now, she's dancing for him. She tried to hide it but he saw. She unveiled herself in front of him, her eyes on him alone, seeking his approval with a desperate vulnerability. And boy did he approve.

Candi finishes her routine and stalks to the back of the stage, bending oh so slowly to pick her hat off the floor. Then she makes her final round around the edge of the stage to collect the waving hands of bills. She slows as she passes by Sonny and an overly eager fan reaches out to grab her. Before she can react, Sonny has a crushing grip on the man's wrist as he spins his arm behind his back and pins the man against the stage.

"Keep your hands off her." His accent is thick in his anger.

He glances up at Candi to see her quick smile before she quickly moves on and then off the stage.


	6. Six

When the next dancer comes out on stage, Carisi makes his way to the bar. Rather than thinking about what happened in the past 10 minutes, he scans the crowd looking for the suspect. SVU would be coming with a warrant for the security tapes in the morning. He glances at his watch and sighs. It's only 10:05. Another four hours. How many more dances would she do on stage? How many more could he handle? How did men come and do this all night? Knowing he'll probably regret it later, he orders himself a drink.


	7. 7

 

Backstage Candi is stashing away the cash from her dance. She can't remember the last time she made this much money. Working her usual day shift she got paid $100 by the club for cleaning up and usually only made around another $2-300 from clients (the club took 20% of all dance profits). With this first dance alone she'd raked in $300. Sure 60 of it would go to the club, but still! She forgot how much working the early shift cost her.

"Come on Candi, they want us back out there working the floor."

"Hold on, let me change." Candi heads to her locker for something less revealing. She pulls on some fishnets and then a zip up leather bodysuit. Sexy without as much skin as her style. The body suit is long-sleeved, zipping all the way up the front. She zips it to just below her breasts and re-puts on her boots.

Once she's back out on the floor, Candi debates whether to look for the detective or not. Before she can decide, she's approached by a customer and with a falsely bright smile she follows him over to one of the couches.

"What's your name babygirl?" He pulls her down onto his lap.

Trying not to tense up her body, Candi just clenches her teeth as she responds. "Candi. And it's $1 per minute."

"Ooh, why you gotta be all business baby?" He runs his hand up and down her side.

"Upfront. Although you can always extend your time."

"Fine, fine. We'll start with 5 and see if you're worth it." He fumbles in his pocket and pulls out a 5 dollar bill. He tucks it in between her breasts, his fingers lingering against the soft skin there.

"What would you like?" She purrs, laying her arm around his shoulders.

"Give me a lil dance baby."

Candi obliges, standing and starting to move her body.

"You're too far away." He pulls her closer, running his hands over her hips and ass.

Candi closes her eyes, listening for the various songs playing throughout the club and trying to ignore the customer's wandering hands. She opens them when she feels his hands trying to slide under the edge of her body suit.

"Easy there tiger!" Candi tries to take a step away from him but he grabs ahold of her legs. She looks down at him wide-eyed and sees the intent in his eyes.


	8. 8

After downing his first drink, Carisi thinks better of a second one and pushes away from the bar. It doesn't take long for him to spot Candi- she's the only natural redhead in the club. He starts to make his way over to her then realizes she's giving a private dance. Stopping a short distance away, he watches as the customer pulls her closer and runs his hands all over her. The customer doesn't notice her discomfort but Carisi can read her body language. She may be dancing but she is tense all over. When he sees her eyes snap open to look down at the customer in surprise, he starts heading towards them. 

"Where do you think you're going?" He hears the customer sneer. 

"Where did you think your hands were going." Her voice is firm. 

"Wherever I pay for them to go." 

The man's hands slide up towards the edge of her bodysuit again. Candi grabs both his pinkies and twist them back, making him yelp as he releases her legs. She steps back and lets go of his fingers, bumping into a body behind her. Startled, she looks up to find Detective Carisi.

"I was comin to your rescue, but I see you didn't need me." 

"Pigs like him," she points at her scowling customer, "are the reason I take self defense classes."

"Hey I paid-"

"For a dance." She interrupts him. "Not for groping me wherever you want to." 

"How much do you want?" The guy starts digging in his pockets. 

"I think you better go find another dancer. Who does more than dancing. I don't." Candi crosses her arms over her chest. 

"Come on- how much?"

"The lady said no. Come on Candi, I'll buy you a drink." He gently presses a hand against her back. 

"Sounds fantastic." She turns and heads towards the bar, escorted by Carisi. 

Carisi buys them both a drink and sits down on an empty barstool. 

"So what are you doing here Detec...er... Mr. Carisi?" Candi stumbles, not sure whether to identify him as a detective in the club. 

He chuckles. "Hey. I told you- call me Sonny."

"Sonny." Candi smiles, hoping the club lighting hides the burn in her cheeks. "What are you doing here? I'm pretty sure you aren't working." 

"Guilty." He shrugs sheepishly and takes a swig of his drink to stall. 

"Sonny. I know you aren't here as a customer. And you aren't on the job. So all I can figure is you're worried after what I told you earlier and are 'working off the clock'." 

Sonny sobers up a bit as Candi matter-of-factly states her mind. 

"You're right."

"So what- you're going to just hang out here until close? No offense, but this seems like a place that would make you uncomfortable. No customer would have tried to come to my rescue like you did. It never would have cross their mind, if they noticed at all."

Sonny looks down at his drink. "I'm making sure you get home safe. Whatever it takes."

"Why me? What about all of the other girls? They're likelier targets anyway."

Sonny looks up at her, eyebrows drawn tight. "If we get this guy, you are our best witness. Especially if it's the man you saw." His face softens as he licks his lips nervously. "And... I might have stopped at the hardware store before I came here." He tacks on with a little smile. 

Candi deadpans. "For my door." She rolls her eyes and gives him a genuine smile. "I should have known."

"You should smile more often." 

She narrows her eyes at him. "I've been smiling all night."

"Nah, not that fake shit. That was a real smile right there. Lit your whole face up." 

Candi smiles and shakes her head. "Well Sonny, unless you're paying for a dance, I need to go find some paying customers and get to work."

Sonny frowns, knowing she's right but not liking it. "Just... Be careful, alright?"

"I got nothing to worry about." She shrugs, then gives him a sly knowing look. "I know you'll be watching." 

Sonny sits back and watches her walk away. She wasn't wrong but he suddenly realized that he'd be undergoing torture the rest of the night. She'd be dancing for countless men, but she'd be dancing for him, knowing he's watching.


End file.
